The present invention relates to a power component.
Power components having an actuator which is adjacent to a measuring element are already known in the form of SENSEFET transistors.
In contrast, the power component of the present invention has the advantage that it ensures safe and reliable operation even with high currents through the actuator as well as protection against the risk of failure.
In SmartPower components such as SENSEFET transistors in particular (in DMOS design, for example) or in IGBT transistors having an integrated sense element, a reliable protection is ensured against overvoltange and breakdowns between the sense cell and adjacent DMOS cell. In particular when employed as a high-side switch, critical operating conditions such as, for example ground and/or battery separation, ISO pulses (interference pulses from the supply system) or with inductive loads or cable inductances can be withstood without risk of failure of the power component. Moreover, it has proven to be advantageous that there is no adverse effect on the current detection by the sense element in normal operation as a consequence of the arrangement provided. Moreover, the arrangement can be integrated monolithically.
If the arrangement prevents an activation of existing parasitic bipolar transistors, for example, by preventing the buildup of the base potential, then the danger of a second breakdown with subsequent fusing is prevented.